[Summary] "Songgot Verification," "Apologize to Kim at Guui Station" Opposition Prepares for Byeon Chang-heum Confirmation Hearing

Candidate Byeon to face confirmation hearing on the 23rd
Controversy over 2016 'Guui Station accident' remarks before hearing
Lee Jong-bae: "Thorough verification... will disclose details to the public"
Jang Hye-young: "Reflect on past remarks and apologize sincerely"

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Byeon Chang-heum is delivering his farewell speech at the retirement ceremony held on the 14th at the auditorium of the Jinju LH headquarters of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH). / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Byun Chang-heum, the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is expected to face a tough time at the parliamentary confirmation hearing scheduled for the 23rd. This comes as the opposition party has announced a so-called 'needle-point scrutiny' of nominee Byun, and controversies have arisen over his past inappropriate remarks.

The confirmation hearing for nominee Byun by the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee is scheduled to be held on the 23rd. Previously, on the afternoon of the 16th, the committee adopted a plan to hold the confirmation hearing for nominee Byun at a plenary meeting.

In response, the opposition party has announced a thorough verification of nominee Byun.

On the morning of the 18th, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, expressed concerns during a meeting on measures for confirmation hearings of ministerial candidates held at the National Assembly, saying, "Under this government, confirmation hearings have effectively been neutralized," and added, "Even for those whose confirmation reports were not adopted or deemed unqualified, appointments are being made regardless of the purpose of the confirmation hearings."

He then urged, "I hope that in this confirmation hearing, the candidates will be thoroughly scrutinized on behalf of the people to determine their suitability."

On the same day, Lee Jong-bae, chairman of the policy committee of the same party, said, "It is expected that the government and ruling party will neutralize the hearing again," and "The People Power Party will respond firmly to any acts that neutralize the confirmation hearings."

He continued, "We will investigate thoroughly with needle-point scrutiny whether the nominee is qualified as a minister and whether there are any flaws," emphasizing, "We will disclose everything clearly to the public."

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party (center), is heading to the National Assembly members' meeting room on the 18th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, controversy arose over criticisms that nominee Byun made inappropriate remarks in the past as a ministerial candidate.

According to the minutes of the 'Construction Safety Business Headquarters Managers' Meeting' of the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH), obtained by Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, nominee Byun said on June 30, 2016, regarding the SH Guui Station accident, "Actually, it was nothing, but if he (the victim, Mr. Kim) had paid just a little more attention, it could have been as if nothing happened," and added, "Since we have many sites, please practice and check so that there are no mistakes at all."

He also said, "This is shaking the entire city administration," and "The (Seoul) mayor is being attacked as if he caused a death."

The Guui Station accident refers to the incident in 2016 where Mr. Kim, an employee of an SH Corporation subcontractor who was repairing a screen door alone on the platform of Guui Station of Seoul Metro, was hit and killed by a train.

The Justice Party immediately called for a formal apology regarding nominee Byun's remarks, criticizing that he seemed to attribute the accident to Mr. Kim's carelessness.

Jang Hye-young, Floor Spokesperson of the Justice Party / Photo by Yonhap News

Jang Hye-young, floor spokesperson for the Justice Party, said in a statement on the afternoon of the same day, "It has been revealed through media reports citing internal meeting minutes that nominee Byun, who was then the president of SH, dismissed the incident as 'a subcontractor employee dying due to a mistake,'" and urged, "We call on nominee Byun to repent for his wrong past remarks and sincerely apologize to the public."

She added, "We sincerely apologize to all the Kims who are still working precariously somewhere today, risking danger and death."

Spokesperson Jang quoted the poem 'The Station with the Brown Bag' written by poet Shim Bo-seon in memory of Mr. Kim at the time of the accident, and questioned, "We ask nominee Byun: Was Mr. Kim's death really just a mistake by a subcontractor employee?"

She further expressed strong regret over nominee Byun's complacent and unjust perception of reality, which attributes the outsourcing of risk and structural disasters to individual mistakes, saying, "While the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which is meant to protect countless Kims in our society, is standing lonely at the hunger strike site in front of the cold National Assembly main building, the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is only standing at the threshold of the National Assembly like a precarious candlelight, supported by bereaved families who have even stopped eating and the six seats of the Justice Party."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.